Rap/ hip hop: was there a golden era of underground hip hop in the mid 2000s?

Around the mid 2000s I was in middle school and the mainstream rap scene was going downhill with one of the most popular songs being laffy taffy. Being a kid and wanting to fit in I pretended to like that **** and looking back on it, I cringe a little thinking that 12,13,14 year old me listened ton that ****. While rap was starting to go downhill in the mainstream there seemed to be quality albums coming out in the underground. Some that come to mind are cunninlynguists- A piece of strange, little brother the minstrel show, immortal technique- revolutionary volume 2, chino XL- poison pen, ghostface killah- fish scale, both the MF Doom collab albums ( madvillain and danger doom). So was there a great era in underground hip hip that went unnoticed and if the internet is what what is now would these albums have gotten more attention?